Goodwin Knight

Goodwin Knight
Knight in 1956
31st Governor of California
In office
October 5, 1953 – January 5, 1959
LieutenantHarold J. Powers
Preceded byEarl Warren
Succeeded byPat Brown
35th Lieutenant Governor of California
In office
January 7, 1947 – October 5, 1953
GovernorEarl Warren
Preceded byFrederick F. Houser
Succeeded byHarold J. Powers
Personal details
Born
Goodwin Jess Knight

(1896-12-09)December 9, 1896
Provo, Utah, U.S.
DiedMay 22, 1970(1970-05-22) (aged 73)
Inglewood, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Arvilla Cooley
(m. 1925; died 1952)
Virginia Carlson
(m. 1954)
Children2
Alma materStanford University
ProfessionJudge
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy
Years of service1918–1919
RankSeaman
Battles/warsWorld War I

Goodwin Jess "Goodie" Knight (December 9, 1896 – May 22, 1970) was an American politician and judge who served as the 31st governor of California from 1953 to 1959. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 35th lieutenant governor of California from 1947 to 1953 under Governor Earl Warren.

Knight was born in Utah and moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was a child. He followed a career in law and politics, becoming a Superior Court judge before moving into politics. He was elected lieutenant governor of California in 1946, serving under Governor Earl Warren. Upon Warren's appointment as Chief Justice of the United States by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Knight assumed the governorship before being elected in his own right in 1954.[1] His tenure as governor was marked by conflicts within his party. He chose not to run for a second full term as governor in 1958 and made an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. He attempted to make a return to the governorship in 1962, but withdrew from the race.

Knight was married twice and had two daughters. He died in 1970, shortly after the suicide of his daughter. His funeral was attended by high-profile individuals including then-California Governor Ronald Reagan and U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater.

  1. ^ Staff writers (1 June 1970). "Milestones". Time. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2011.